Gratitude

My teenage years were rough. Not in a rebellious, picked on, or poverty stricken way, but in a hormonal roller coaster sort of way. Which doesn't sound so bad after the other scenarios, but trust me, it was bad. I didn't think I had any control over what the day would be like, giving up my power of choice without being aware or conscience of the decision. Slowly over time, I gained a moment of clarity - probably in a counseling session, but I don't remember the location, just the feeling - that I am in complete control of my day no matter what is going on around me or inside me. It was like a giant light bulb suddenly flooding my whole being with light; an ah ha! moment so huge that it felt like my entire being was energized and redirected. Well, quite frankly it was. From that day forward I chose to look for and focus on the good, to smile and warm my face with the sun, and to use my journal as a sounding board and a place to record all that I'm grateful for - big and small. At first, I struggled to find just five things I was grateful for. As I continued to flex my 'gratitude muscles' finding and focusing on the good and grateful moments in each day became second nature. I was doing what felt right, and following my decision to be happy everyday, which made being grateful second nature.

As it turns out, by following what felt right I may have stumbled upon a great truth ahead of  science. This video displays in a brilliantly simple way the power of gratitude. Watch. Learn. And spread the love.

Goals

Fresh slates are additive for me. Mornings, Mondays, 1st of the month, and the creme de la creme JANUARY! I have been letting myself start goals early [meaning, right when I decide to do it, whether it be the afternoon, the 15th of the month, or March] lately, which means I have a running to do list of items needing to be checked off at all times. But January brings order and determination with it, and so I seem to set my grandest goals at this time of year! With my goals written out, posted in my most often view areas, and broken down into steps [yeah for manageable segments!] I have busted through the 2012 starting gates and am feeling great! One of my resolutions is not yet set though, and currently, I'm okay with that. I created this blog to track my progress back to the marathon starting line, and all the wonderful adventures that I encounter along the way with my little family. Now, I'm wavering as to whether I will be doing another marathon in the next couple of years, or whether I will stick to the half marathon distance. Here's the internal debate:

Marathon

 [POSITIVES] lofty and courageous goal; feels great to finish; only a small percentage of the population will ever even attempt a marathon, and fewer will complete one [or more in my case ;)]; [OBSTACLES] time consuming training plan which is trickier than a rubixcube with a young family in tow

Half Marathon

 [POSITIVES] long enough distance to challenge me and keep me interested; easy on my body; training fits my schedule; more races to choose from; more training partners to run with [a serious plus!] [OBSTACLES] does not give me the same thrill that a marathon does

And so you see, they're both great options, but neither is completely perfect for me right now. Either my family will need to make great sacrifices so I can run another marathon right now, or I will change my mental state and meet the half marathon with the same zeal and passion of a marathon. One of my sisters, who is also a runner and my favourite person to run with, suggested running back to back half's [for example one on Saturday then another on Sunday] which would be a challenge, and may just be the tipping point towards the half for me.

January is rolling along, the rest of my goals are formed and stepping along to greatness, and soon enough my running goals will be solidified and ready to pursue full throttle.

Both are fantastic - which would you choose?